Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/567101
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 6 SEPTEMBER 2015 4 News Church commission denies wrongdoing in dismissal of Gozitan paedophile priest JURGEN BALZAN THE Maltese Church's Safeguard- ing Commission has told MaltaTo- day that a Gozitan priest accused of abusing minors was defrocked by the Vatican in 2013 and the de- cision was reconfirmed earlier this year. This came after the Gozo curia's statement which said the priest, Dominic Camilleri, was informed of his dismissal in March of this year. But despite the Vatican's orders, this newspaper is informed that before MaltaToday's revelations last week, Camilleri still celebrated mass in a private chapel, wore cler- ical clothing and presented himself in public as a priest. MaltaToday last week reported that in 2013, the Vatican had up- held its original decision to de- frock Camilleri, who was first in- vestigated by the Maltese church over the sexual abuse of minors 12 years ago. However, sources told MaltaTo- day that Gozo bishop Mario Grech had not yet carried out Camilleri's dismissal adding that this could be connected to the shamed priest's alleged threats to expose other cases of sexual abuse involving Gozitan priests. Despite the Gozo bishop's ini- tial refusal to answer why it took so long to dismiss Camilleri, the Maltese Episcopal Conference's Safeguarding Commission replied to the questions on Grech's behalf and insisted that normal proce- dures were followed. "During yesterday's meeting, our Bishops decided that any media questions related to cases of abuse will be referred to the Safeguard- ing Commission through the Cu- ria's Communications Office of the Archdiocese of Malta," the Church's spokesperson told Mal- taToday. The Safeguarding Commission said that the case has been re- viewed by the Head of Safeguard- ing, Andrew Azzopardi and as a result of this review, "it emerged that Dominic Camilleri has been suspended from all pastoral du- ties throughout the process, which means that he has had no active role in the Church, including not being permitted to celebrate any sacraments." This decision, the commission insisted, had no bearing on the fi- nal decision and was taken to safe- guard any minors or vulnerable adults who may have been at risk of harm. Questions sent to the Gozo church two weeks ago on why Camilleri had not yet been dis- missed were only answered on Thursday, with the diocese con- firming that the priest was indeed defrocked by the Vatican. However, the Gozo curia did not say when the papal decree was is- sued. The 63-year-old Camilleri had been accused of abusing a number of boys in Gozo over a number of years. The extent of the abuse per- petuated by Camilleri will prob- ably never come to light since the victims have so far not filed a po- lice report. Questions sent to the Vatican on the case and on whether it was looking into Grech's dithering in executing the dismissal remained unanswered. The commission explained that the Vatican's decision to defrock Camilleri was taken in two stages, with the first decision taken in May 2013. However, following a request by Camilleri's legal repre- sentative in July 2013, Grech was advised by the Apostolic Nuncio to suspend the implementation of this decision and to refer back to the Vatican. "Following correspondence be- tween the Vatican and the Gozo Curia, which took into account the submissions put forward by Camilleri's legal representative, the Vatican's decision was confirmed in February 2015," the commis- sion said. Subsequently, the commission said, Grech sent a letter in March 2015 to Camilleri informing him of this decision. Camilleri was also informed in writing through his le- gal representative in May 2015. The commission – set up in February to advise senior Church officials on abuse cases – added that Camilleri was "suspended throughout the whole process". "Thus any possible or perceived delays had no impact on the safe- guarding of minors or vulner- able adults, which is of paramount importance for the Church," the commission added. Earlier this week, Grech told MaltaToday that he would rather not answer questions and when pressed to give an answer he said "all your premises are wrong". Asked to elaborate, Grech said: "I'll tell you some other time." Moreover, this week the Mal- tese and Gozitan bishops issued a joint statement in which they announced that all definitive de- cisions imposing restrictions on clerical activities or dismissal from the clergy, will be made public on the dioceses' webpages. Fresh questions sent to Grech on his initial refusal to explain why Camilleri had not been dismissed were brushed aside. In a brief re- ply, the bishop's spokesperson said "from now onwards, any questions about such cases are to be ad- dressed to Mr Andrew Azzopardi, Head of the Safeguarding Com- mission." Asked whether Grech's refusal had been an omission of the truth on th ematter, the Commission later reiterated the bishop's com- mitment "that every case of abuse is being dealt with by putting at the forefront the protection of minors and vulnerable adults, as has been done consistently in this and in all cases." 'Defrocked priest had no active role and was not allowed to celebrate any sacraments since at least 2013' CALL FOR TENDERS As part of the project ESF no. 4.220 – "Developing a Culture of Rights through Capacity Building", the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) is requesting submissions for the provision of: PUBLICATION REFERENCE: DT-NCPE/12/2015 TENDER TITLE: Services Tender for the Provision of a Public Employees Perception Survey Any queries should be sent to equality@gov.mt by not later than Tuesday 22 nd September 2015 at 5.15pm, specifying the publication reference and the tender title. A Clarification Meeting will be held on Friday 11 th September 2015 at 10.00am at NCPE premises. Closing Date for submission of tenders is Monday 28 th September 2015 at 10.00am. All submissions should be hand-delivered to our offices. Terms of reference can be obtained from our offices or from our website (see details below). It is recommended that interested bidders register such interest with NCPE so that they can be notified immediately of any communication/clarification issued in relation to such tender. NCPE Gattard House, National Road, Blata l-Bajda HMR 9010 Tel: 2590 3850 Fax: 2590 3851 E-mail: equality@gov.mt Web: www.equality.gov.mt Operational Programme II – Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Empowering People for More Jobs and a Better Quality of Life Project part-financed by the European Union European Social Fund (ESF) Co-financing rate: 85% EU Funds; 15% National Funds Investing in your future Clergy told Cardinal of 'bully' bishop CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 In the let- ter to the Cardinal in 2014, Marx was urged to ensure that the Vati- can and its representative in Malta "thoroughly investigate this alle- gation of professional misconduct by Bishop Grech." Following this newspaper's re- port last Sunday, the Gozo curia this week confirmed the shamed priest's dismissal despite the ini- tial refusal to answer questions on the case. The letter to Cardinal Marx shows that members of the clergy were angered by Grech's failure to execute Camilleri's dismissal, and sources said this could be con- nected to the shamed priest's al- leged threats to expose other cases of sexual abuse involving Gozitan priests. The letter, which was also copied to Pope Francis and the Congrega- tion of Bishops, described Grech in no uncertain terms as a "bully" who nurtures a "bullying culture" and that he "thrives on a media spin cul- ture." Marx was warned that Grech "is ut- terly unfit" to become a r c h b i s h o p and told in un- equivocal terms that the bishop is "the embodiment of a heady combi- nation of spiritual authority and power with the lack of human accountability". The Cardinal was told that dur- ing Grech's nine-year tenure in Gozo, the Gozo Church has been run by the "grin of a Cheshire cat" and that Grech's promotion would be a "sheer disaster". It alleged that Grech's "aggres- sive" attitude had led to a number of resignations within the Gozo Church while others were side- lined, deliberately overworked and verbally assaulted in public. Moreover, the Gozo bishop – who still lives with his parents – was also accused of allowing his family to interfere in the running of the diocese, which had allegedly led to "bad pastoral decisions" and "misfits" appointed to pastoral ministries. The letter sent to Cardinal Marx also accuses Grech of having "a manifest attachment to mate- rial wealth" and that a retirement home for priests built by his pred- ecessor Bishop Nicholas Cauchi, had been occupied by a priest's mother for a number of years in- stead of some 20 priests. "The Church in Gozo has been run for the last nine years by a 'grin of a Cheshire cat'. It would be a sheer disaster if Bishop Grech were appointed archbishop. He is utterly unfit to lead the Metro- politan See. The Maltese Church requires a robust leader," the let- ter concluded. Marx acknowledged the letter and in a reply suggested that the Apostolic Nuncio to Malta be in- formed of its contents. jbalzan@mediatoday.com.mt Cardinal Reinhard Marx Vatican decision to defrock Camilleri was taken in two stages